Key container



July 10, 1956 w. J. BESTARD KEY CONTAINER Filed April 2, 1953 Z8 Z9 10 I 59/ 35 INVENTOR. UZZDEMQR J; 555x920 HTTORNEY United States Patent KEY CONTAINER Waldemar J. Bestard, New York, N. Y., assignor of onethird to Peter Crosby and one-third to Spiro Williams, both of New York, N. Y.

Application April 2, 1953, Serial No. 346,498

4 Claims. (Cl. 70-456) This invention relates to a key container.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a key container adapted to hold a plurality of keys in concealed positions and with means whereby by pressing buttons, numerically arranged, any one of the keys can be selected from the container.

It is another object of the invention to provide a key container so that when the key is pivoted into the body of the container, it is laterally moved to a position beyond the sides of the slot through which the key passes and will be positively looked under the body and held against the underside thereby with spring means and wherein to remove the key, the selecting button and rod will positively move the key into alignment with the slot so that it will be released and pushed outwardly thereof by its spring finger.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a key container having the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, easy to assemble, inexpensive to manufacture, compact, convenient and eflicient in use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the key container and having the same appearance as the bottom of the container;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the key container;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view and a collective View of the pivot screw for the securement of the keys within the container;

Fig. 5 is a collective, fragmentary and perspective view of the key container with parts separated from one another;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a key and of the triple fingered spring that normally engages the key to move it out of the container slot.

Referring now to the figures, 10 and 11 represent opposite end blocks formed of metal or plastic as by casting or molding. Each of the end blocks, as will be described in connection with block 10, has a plurality of laterally spaced key slots 12, 13 and 14. These slots respectively receive handle portions 15 of a key 16. Each handle portion has a hole 17 that is aligned with a transverse hole 18 in the block and with the keys positioned in the slots, a bolt 19 having a screw head 20 and an internally threaded shank 21 is extended through the hole 17 of the key and the hole 18, and the assembly is made secure in the block 10 by a screw bolt 22 having a head 23 and threaded into the internally threaded shank 21 of the bolt 19. The keys 16 can thereby pivot in an out of their respective slots.

The end block 10 has an inwardly projecting portion 24 with a plurality of laterally spaced finger projections 25, 26 and 27 thereon. These finger projections, being ice spaced, provide spaces 28, 29 and 30 through which keys carried by the end block 10, can be extended. These finger projections respectively have inwardly extending depending flanges 25', 26' and 27 that serve as stops to limit the lateral movement of the key in one direction when moved under the projections to be retained in the slots. The function of these finger projections will be described more in detail hereinafter.

On the inwardly extending portion 24 there is fixed upon the underside thereof a spring finger plate 32 having respectively spring fingers 33, 34 and 35 aligned with the respective slots 12, 13 and 14 and adapted to engage the handle portions of the respective keys assembled in these slots. This spring finger plate 32 is held in place on the underside of the portion 24 by a rivet 36.

The end block 11 is similarly formed and like numerals applied to the end block 10 apply upon the same parts or portions of end block 11. These end blocks are assembled in an opposing manner and are held in longitudinally spaced relationship by side plates 37 and 38 and pivot bolt means formed of the screws 19 and 22. These plates are rounded on their ends to conform to the shape of the end blocks and have holes in the ends thereof to receive the screws 19 and 22 and are assembled along with the keys 16, upon the end blocks. Upon removing the screws, the end blocks can be moved outwardly to assemble the keys therein, and thereafter the entire end of the key container can be reassembled and retained by the screws 19 and 22.

The keys assembled in the end block 10 will have their ends lie under the finger projections of the end block 11 and can pass through the spaces between the finger projections on the portion 24 thereof.

Each of the plates 37 and 38 have end holes on their respective opposite ends thereof as indicated at 39 and 40 and are relieved on their side edges as indicated at 41 and 41'. While these side plates 37 and 38 have been shown as separate and apart from the end blocks 10 and 11, it will be apparent that the two side plates could be made integral with either one of the end blocks or one side plate could be made integral with one end block and still allow the parts to be disassembled for the insertion and connection of the keys with the parts. The slots in the end blocks are sufiiciently wide so as to permit lateral shifting movement of the keys once they are assembled upon the joined screws 19 and 22.

Each plate 37 and 38 has three counterbored holes 42 therein. These holes lie along the middle portion of the side plate and are longitudinally spaced from one another. Rods 43, 44 and 45 are slidable between aligned holes 42 of the side plates and will accordingly be longitudinally spaced from one another. Each of the rods has press button heads 46 and 47 on their respective opposite ends thereof which may enter the respective counterbored holes 42. Each of the rods has two collars 48 and 49 respectively spaced from the respective opposite side plates 37 and 38 to receive balance springs 50 and 51 surrounding the rod and reacting between the side plates and the collars to normally keep the rods centralized within the assembly. The rod 43 is coiled at 43a and 43b to provide radial projections adapted to engage keys that can pass through space 30 of the block 10 and space 28 of the block 11. By pressing either button 46 or 47 one of the keys will be released from the spaces or slots 30 or 28.

The rod 44, as viewed in Fig. 3, has coiled radial projections 44a and 4412. By pressing the button 47 of the rod 44, the key can be removed through slot 29 in the end block 10. By pressing button 46 the projection 44b will engage a bottom key and permit the key to pass through the slot 29 of the end block 11 under the action of finger 34 of the spring plate 32. As soon as the button of the rod is released, the springs 5t) and 51 thereof will cause the rod to be stabilized and returned to its initial position.

If the rod 45 is depressed, its projection 45:: will cause a key to be ejected through slot 28 of the block and if the button 46 of the rod 45 is depressed, the key Wili be ejected through slot 3% of the block 11.

When the keys are depressed against the action of the respective spring plate fingers 33, 34 and 35, as permitted by the relieved portions 41 and 41' of the plates 37 and 38, the keys can be depressed through the slots and to one side of the respective slots and under the respective fingers 25, 26 and 27, whereby they will be held in locked engagement therewith by the fingers of the spring plate. The keys will be slid in the spaces of the end blocks and along the joined screws 19 and 22 in order that they can be seated under the fingers of the block.

Then, to remove a key, the key is merely slid in the opposite direction along the joined bolts 19 and 22 and within the respective spaces or slots 12, 13 and 14, until the keys are aligned with the respective openings 28, 29 and 30 between the fingers of the end block and under the action of the spring fingers and gravity, the selected key will be lowered from the container and made readily available. To move the keys, the press buttons of the rods 43, 44 and 45 are depressed, and the projections of these rods will engage the key to align the key with the spaces between the fingers.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided a key container in which a plurality of keys can be held within the container in a locked manner and wherein any one of the keys can be released by depressing a press button on either side of the container. The press buttons can have indications thereon to identify the particular key.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, of the container, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope or" the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A key container comprising end blocks respectively having key slots therein adapted to receive the handles of keys, side plates respectively extending between the blocks and at the respective opposite sides thereof, pivot bolt means extending respectively through the side plates, the end blocks and said slots thereof and adapted to retain the keys within said slots so that the keys may be pivoted, said slots within the blocks being wider than the keys, each of said blocks having a plurality of finger projections extending inwardly of the block provid ing spaces therebetween through which the ends of keys may be extended for engagement with the underside of the finger projections, the keys extending inwardly from the opposite end blocks and the keys extending from one block being held by the finger projections of the other block while the keys extending from the other block are held by the finger projections of the one block, spring means adapted to urge the keys against the undersides of the finger projections and mounted on each block. 2. A key container comprising end blocks respectively having key slots therein adapted to receive the handles of keys, side plates respectively extending between the blocks and at the respective opposite sides thereof, pivot bolt leans extending respectively through the side plates, the end blocks and said slots thereof and adapted to retain the keys within said slots so that the keys can be pivoted, said slots within the blocks being wider than the keys, each of said blocks having a plurality of finger projections extending inwardly of the block and providing spaces there between through which the ends of keys may be extended for engagement with the underside of the finger projections, the keys extending inwardly from the opposite end blocks and the keys extending from one block being held by the finger projections of the other block while the keys extending from the other block are held by the finger projections of the one block, spring means adapted to urge the keys against the undersides of the finger projections and mounted on each block, and press button rods extending between the side plates and having respectively projections engageable with keys, whereby the keys may be seiectively released from the finger projections of the end blocks.

3. A key container comprising end block members arranged in opposing relationship to each other, side plates extending between the end blocks, each of said end blocks having a plurality of slots therein adapted to receive handie portions of keys, each of said blocks respectively further having finger projections extending inwardly of the block and toward the other block and providing spaces through which the ends of keys connected to the other block can be extended so that such keys can be located under the finger projections, and pivot bolt means extending through the side plates on each block and adapted to contain the keys lying within the slots of each block, spring fingers on each block respectively extending into the respective slots of each block and respectively engageable with the respective handle portions of the keys to normally urge the keys outwardly against the finger projections of the other block whereby to lock the keys in place thereunder, the slots of each of said blocks being wide and said keys being laterally shiftable on the pivot bolt means and within said slots so that they can be moved into registry with the finger projections of the other block.

4. A key container comprising end block members arranged in opposing relationship to each other, side plates extending between the end blocks, each of said end blocks having a plurality of slots therein adapted to receive handle portions of keys, each of said blocks respectively further having finger projections extending inwardly of the block and toward the other block and providing spaces through which the ends of keys connected to the other block can be extended so that such keys can be located under the fingers, pivot bolt means extending through the side plates on each block and adapted to contain the keys lying within the slots of each block, a finger spring plate fixed to the underside of each block and having spring fingers respec tively extending into the respective slots of each block and respectively engageable with the respective handle portions of the keys to urge the key outwardly against the finger projections of the other block whereby to lock the keys in place thereunder, the slots of each of said blocks being Wide and said keys being laterally shiftable on the pivot bolt means and within said slots so that they can be moved into registry with the finger projections of the other block, and a plurality of rods extending between the side plates, said rods respectively having two radial projections, one radial projection adapted to engage with a key attached to one block and the other radial projection adapted to engage with a key attached to the other block, each of the rods having spring balancing means tending to centralize the rods, the radial projections of the rod engageable with a key when the rod is depressed on either one side or the other to release the key from beneath a finger projection of a block and to allow it to pass outwardly through a slot under the action of a spring finger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,974,558 Andis Sept. 25, 1934 2,400,221 Bennett May 14, 1946 2,433,526 McPherson Dec. 30, 1947 2,517,500 McPherson et al Aug. 1, 1950 2,657,569 Hill Nov. 3, 1953 

